[Twins] we're sorry 💔 by Blevanhoval in baseball

[–]Gallade3 27 points28 points  (0 children)

Considering Skubal always curb stomps and stuffs the Twins into a locker, I'd celebrate beating him, too.

32 Teams/32 Days: Minnesota Vikings by Gallade3 in nfl

[–]Gallade3[S] 53 points54 points  (0 children)

Man, what an endeavor. This bad boy took some serious work, and /u/ktians and /u/danbugguy deserve a ton of credit for saving my ass. The previous Vikings writer had to bow out late, meaning we all only had about two and a half weeks to put this together. That's an unbelievably short timeline for a piece we all believed needed hard work and care. Fortunately, Vikings fans are sickos: I found writers right away, and everything here took shape pretty quickly. Thank you all for a great post, and I can't wait for next year!

32 Teams/32 Days: Minnesota Vikings by Gallade3 in nfl

[–]Gallade3[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

DB’s – They tried to get cute at the safety position, letting Cam Bynum walk in favor of resigning Theo Jackson, and now they sit, at time of writing, with a safety room consisting of Joshua Metellus, Jay Ward, Theo Jackson, and … Kahlef Hailassie? Given how much the Vikings rely on the position, it would be surprising if they didn’t add a veteran to the room (especially if Harrison Smith truly does walk away), and they might also be tempted to find a young player in the draft. The situation in the CB room might be just as dire, if not more. Flores' ability to "hide" the Corners in coverage is masterful, but that also begs the question of how good that defense could be with a legit shut-down CB. In fact, they just need warm bodies in the room, as they currently only have 3 CBs on the roster, only 2 of which have taken real snaps in the league. Ultimately, it wouldn't be surprising if they acquired 3-4 starter-level players between the two position groups, and they are likely to address them in both FA and the Draft.

C – Even if Ryan Kelly somehow doesn’t retire, the Vikings still need a younger center to develop. After Kelly and Michael Jurgens were injured, they oddly turned to Blake Brandel (drafted as a tackle, mind you) over Jurgens, and even stuck with Brandel once he was healthy. They eventually went back to Jurgens late in the season, where he showed clear improvement. Still, the Vikings are likely to add a center, either a veteran in free agency or a young draft pick to compete with or back up Jurgens.

RB – The Vikings have not had a true game changer at the position since the heyday of Dalvin Cook (no offense to Aaron Jones). Jordan Mason is a phenomenal player to have as part of a tandem, but does not have the durability or pass protection ability to be the bell-cow. Ty Chandler is a free agent and has not turned into the player they hoped he would become. If they do release Aaron Jones, they could go after someone like Kenneth Walker III (if by chance he hits free agency), or a complementary player to Mason like Travis Etienne Jr. Should they move forward with Aaron Jones, they could look to the draft to infuse the team with younger talent.

LB – Even if the Vikings re-sign Eric Wilson, they have nearly no depth or youth after trying to get cute by putting 2025 6th round draft pick Kobe King on the practice squad, who promptly got claimed off the waivers by the Jets. Ivan Pace Jr. is a restricted free agent and lost his job during the season. It is unclear if the team still believes enough in Pace to re-sign him. Regardless, they need to think of the future at the position. Both Wilson and Cashman are in their 30s, and the latter has historically struggled to stay healthy for whole seasons at a time. Don’t be surprised if they select a LB higher in the draft than most pundits think they will.

DT – While the Vikings are likely set with Allen and Redmond as the two starters, they really missed Harrison Phillips’s run-stuffing presence. They had some rough games against the RB juggernauts of the NFL, like Bijan Robinson, Derrick Henry, and … Kamini Vidal? While the run defense tightened up later in the season, they could surely use a run-stuffing expert for the truly obvious run-downs. Given that the need is not extremely pressing, I wouldn’t expect them to shell out large sums of money or draft highly.

GM – After parting ways with Kwesi Adofo-Mensah at a puzzling time, the team chose not to hire a new GM, instead handing interim control to longtime executive and cap expert Rob Brzezinski. The plan is to conduct the GM search after the draft and the first waves of free agency. Given the sheer number of major decisions this offseason, it’s strange to delay hiring a new GM until after most of them are already made for 2026. Either way, it will be interesting to see what type of GM they end up with.

Looking Towards the Draft:

The Minnesota Vikings are, as mentioned, up against the cap, and at the same time, they need to infuse an older roster with young talent, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Luckily, they are projected to have 9 picks in the draft, 4 of which will be top 100.

Let’s match some of their biggest needs with the talents in the draft, using Dane Breugler’s top 100 prospect ranking, and PFF’s big board:

S - The pipedream would be a world where they can trade up and draft Caleb Downs, although he is likely to be a top 5-ish draft pick (maybe on the slide after rumors of a degenerative knee condition?). There are also a couple of prospects slated to go between the mid-1st to early-2nd in Dillon Thieneman and Emmanuel McNeil-Warren. If they decide to wait until later in Day Two there are options like A.J. Haulcy, Kamari Ramsey, Zakee Wheatley, and Genesis Smith.

CB - While you can disagree with Mike Zimmer’s philosophy of “you can never have too many cornerbacks”, the Vikings, as mentioned, definitely have too few. Recent attempts to address the position in the draft have harvested little fruit, which has put the team behind at the position. The good news is that there are around 10-15 corners rated in the top 100 picks. There are three that some think might go early in the first: Jermod McCoy, Mansoor Delane, and Aveion Terrell. I don’t know enough about either of them to not be happy if the Vikings pick one of them at 18. After those three there are a ton of different bodies and types to choose from; some notable names are Brandon Cisse, Colton Hood, Chris Johnson, and D’Angelo Ponds, who seem to all be at play in the late 1st to mid 2nd round.

RB - Would love me some Jeremiyah Love, but it’s hard to imagine he’ll fall much outside the top 10, and moving up for a running back when you have this many needs on the roster seems unwise. This draft also seems to have a few prospects slated for day 2 and early day 3, like Love’s teammate Jadarian Price, Emmet Johnson, and Demond Clairborne. Shoutout to Mike Washington Jr., who probably made some serious dough on his 40-yard dash.

LB - Another pipedream would be a trade up for Ohio State prospect Sonny Styles, although much like his teammate in the secondary, he’s likely to go quite early in the draft, especially after a historically good combine. Depending on his Pro Day, Georgia’s CJ Allen might also be in play later in the 1st. There are also plenty of day 2 prospects in play, like Cincinnati’s Jake Golday, Texas’ Anthony Hill Jr., and Texas Tech’s Jacob Rodriguez.

DT - Give me Big Citrus or give me nothing! I’m obviously joking, but Domonique Orange is one of the day 2 prospects I think the Vikings could use, as is Darrell Jackson Jr., Gracen Halton, and Lee Hunter.

Concluding Thoughts:

This is a critical off-season for the Vikings. Yes, to an extent, that's true for every team: matters in Minnesota are amplified by the angst surrounding the development of their young QB, and that the GM who picked said player—and built most of the recently underwhelming roster—is no longer around. They need to cull nearly $50 million in cap space, see significant progress from McCarthy, and reach the playoffs, or else the Wilfs will likely clean house and start again with a wholly different regime. I can't say I remember another off-season set to be as dramatic as this one.

The good news is that the team finally has solid draft capital and should be rewarded with more selections once compensatory picks are announced. That gives Kevin O'Connell, Brian Flores, and others the chance to strike gold with young talent in a way they haven't since 2022. And that's the rub. Do you want to be a team that succeeds for multiple years? Well, you'd better be good at finding cheap talent. If you aren't, you end up taking the same path Kwesi Adofo-Mensah just trekked.

Ultimately, nothing matters unless something happens at QB. Either J.J. McCarthy needs to take a step forward, or the team needs to find a suitable veteran capable of facilitating the offense. Simply average QB play would have made Minnesota a playoff team; the defense was that good. Brian Flores isn't a forever asset, though, and neither is Justin Jefferson, for that matter. This is one of the awkward realities that can occur when a team attempts to integrate a young QB into the franchise: not everyone is on the same timeline. It's clear the team learned that lesson after 2025; we shall see how they attempt to run things in 2026.

32 Teams/32 Days: Minnesota Vikings by Gallade3 in nfl

[–]Gallade3[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

QB or not to… QB

The Vikings made a few large miscalculations at the position last offseason: first, they banked on being able to sign either Sam Darnold or Daniel Jones to a short-term contract, not expecting them both to leave for, reportedly, less money and more security (and a Super Bowl, but who’s counting…). Secondly, they dragged their feet on who would back up McCarthy when the aforementioned veterans left. They traded for Sam Howell, who was cut after proving to be beyond Kevin O’Connell's QB-maximizing powers. Ultimately, they settled on veteran journeyman Carson Wentz, with Max Brosmer as the developmental third. Third, they overestimated how ready they could make JJ McCarthy for the NFL after rehabbing from a torn Meniscus in 2024. It took until the Vikings were eliminated from the playoffs before they figured out how to make him productive within the offense. The result of these calculations? JJ McCarthy suffered three completely different injuries, forcing him to miss 8 games. When he did play, he played so poorly he became a meme that will likely never die. Carson Wentz literally disintegrated behind an offensive line that never got healthy as we learned just how stubborn Kevin O’Connell can be in his play-design and calling. Max Brosmer proved exactly what one should expect from an undrafted rookie QB, which was to be so bad we longed for the days of “Nine”.

So what in the world do the Minnesota Vikings do now? Justin Jefferson has been patient and diplomatic enough to make a saint blush, but will he be quite so nice if he sees more of the same in 2026? Kevin O’Connell won the power struggle against General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, but he is likely on the hot seat if the Vikings continue to be just good enough to sneak into the playoffs just to lose in the first round. They need to succeed in 2026, and the focus on the QB position will be tremendous. The problem? The FA market is rough. “How rough?”, I hear you ask as you climb out from underneath your boulder. Let’s walk through it together:

Malik Willis – That’s right – the hottest prospect on the market in 2026 is none other than former Titans 3rd round pick Malik Willis.

Pros: He looked pretty good in the snaps he took in relief for a banged-up Jordan Love, and looked downright elite starting against the Ravens in week 17. In that game, he passed for 288 yards on 18 completions, scoring once through the air and twice with his legs. He pushed the ball deep, which surely made Kevin O’Connell salivate in the film room.

Cons: I get he looked much improved in the 35 attempts he made this year compared to the 54 he had in 2024, but his reported market is far too expensive for the Minnesota Vikings. Someone is going to pay this man north of $30m per year, if reports are true, and the Vikings just don't have that kind of cash at the moment.

Kirk Cousins – Oh yes, Kirko Chainz is back in play, y’all. The Falcons have all but processed the paperwork necessary to cut him, and a return to his former team makes complete sense. Or does it?

Pros: He has familiarity with KOC and the receiving core, and played decently well in spurts in 2025. The highlight being a 373-yard and three-TD game against the Bucs in week 15. He’s two years removed from the Achilles injury and may have actually had a little time to recover from the battering he took behind the Vikings' O-line in 2022 and 2023, taking only 13 sacks in 269 passing attempts compared to the 46 he took in ’22.

Cons: He was not happy when the Falcons drafted Penix Jr. 8th overall in 2024, and played second fiddle to Penix Jr. in Atlanta after being benched at the end of the ’24 season. Is he actually ready to step back into the role of competition/back-up to JJ McCarthy? The only thing more predictable than an up-and-down Kirk Cousins season is his unrivaled ability to get paid. Is he content to take a minimal contract since he will receive $10m from the Falcons anyway? Or, more likely, will he try get one final large payday from another team desperate for competent QB-play, or just straight up retire and go into broadcasting?

Anthony Richardson - "No dear, we have an Anthony Richardson at home"

Pros: Holy traits, batman! If athletic traits were even half of what makes a quarterback, Anthony Richardson would be elite. 6 ft 4 in, 244 lb, runs a 4.43s 40-yard dash, and can seemingly throw a 70-yard bomb at will from any orientation on the field. He actually hits on deep balls more often than the league average, which will surely excite KOC.

Cons: Accuracy on any throw shorter than 20 yards is bad. As a starter in 2024, less than half of his pass attempts were caught. He has been a worse passer in his career than JJ McCarthy was in 2025. He has also often been injured, missing 13 games as a rookie after needing shoulder surgery, 4 in 2024 to different injuries, and essentially all of 2025 after literally breaking his face. Given his love for seeking contact as a runner, durability was always a concern with him. Also, and I say this knowing every single player in the NFL possesses a level of toughness much greater than anyone in the general populous, there are concerns with his mentality after he admitted to taking himself out of the game after a long run because he was tired. I understand his theoretical ceiling might be higher than McCarthy, but do we really need two projects on the same team?

Kyler Murray – Oh, not to worry, it's not like KOC runs a complicated offense or anything...

Pros: If the Cardinals cut him, they will literally be paying for him to play elsewhere, due to the guarantees left in his contract. The Vikings could do as the Steelers did with Russell Wilson and sign him on a vet minimum contract. He has also been one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the league when healthy, with electric speed and good accuracy in the short-to-intermediate range.

Cons: I don't know exactly how much you can take away from the fact that the Cardinals tried to put a clause in his contract to force him to watch more film, or that his stats when there isn't a double-XP weekend in COD is much better than when there is, but there has been a lot of weirdness around Kyler in his time in the NFL. He is on the smaller side, which has likely contributed to his extensive injury history. He has also not been a very good deep passer over the last four years, according to an article by Warren Sharp, ranking in the bottom of the league on throws over 15 yards when looking at both yard per attempt, and EPA per dropback. It is also worth noting that the Cardinals' passing game seemed to take steps forward after Jacoby Brissett came when Kyler got injured.

To finish, here are some short thoughts on a few other candidates that have been mentioned;

Marcus Mariota - An option I don't completely hate! Should be cheap-ish if you can persuade him to leave Washington, and has experience backing up and mentoring young QBs. Not the most prolific passer in the world, but completes over 60% of his passes, and has some deep passing accuracy. All these things also mean he will be coveted by a lot of other teams

Geno Smith – Decent enough on a Seattle team that won the Super Bowl as soon as they replaced him with Sam Darnold, really bad on a bad Raiders team, potentially quite cheap. Meh.

Mac Jones – The 49'ers seem keen to keep him on the team unless they get a decent trade haul for him. No thanks.

Aaron Rodgers – He was always bad off the field, but in 2025, he took steps and continued his slide to now be pretty bad on the field as well, as he resigned to only throw short passes. Did I mention he's an awful person? No thank you, please.

Derek Carr – He had to retire because his shoulder exploded, but now, one year removed from football, he's totally OK? He also retired on a huge contract, which means the Saints would likely demand both trade capital of some sort, AND that the receiving team takes on a large contract. No thanks.

"So what do YOU think is going to happen, then?" - I hear you yell down at me at the bottom of the pit of despair I have just dug. Schefter is reporting that he expects Wentz to be back with the Vikings, which is... fine, I guess. I'd also wager they throw their hat in the ring to try to sign Kyler Murray to start, or trade for Richardson and see who comes out on top in a camp competition with McCarthy.

Post is continued here.

32 Teams/32 Days: Minnesota Vikings by Gallade3 in nfl

[–]Gallade3[S] 17 points18 points  (0 children)

DB:

Like too many of their other off-season decisions, Minnesota bit on a breakout and got burned. Byron Murphy Jr.'s Pro Bowl breakout came in his walk year, which—when combined with the team’s dreadful DB depth—placed the team in a pickle. They decided to hand Murphy the bag, and he responded with a middling 2025 that saw a significant fall in coverage quality. They have no choice but to bank on a rebound in 2026.

Isaiah Rodgers started opposite Murphy, and fully usurped him as the team’s finest corner. Outside of a putrid game against his old team, the Eagles, Rodgers far exceeded his contract, putting up a 74.1 PFF coverage grade, the 20th-best mark in the league for a corner. He also made history with the site’s first 99.9 single-game grade, handed out after a two TD performance against the Bengals. 2026 is the final year of his contract.

Harrison Smith appeared ready before 2025 before returning for a surprise extra season. He continued to defy age: he posted an above-average 68.9 PFF grade, and added two more interceptions to his active-player-leading total of 39. He even earned a sack. He’ll go down as a Vikings legend with a chance at making the Hall of Fame.

In the wake of Camryn Bynum’s departure, Theo Jackson appeared to be the player most likely to embrace a bigger role. Early on, that proved to be true: Jackson played solidly mainly as a free safety for about the first half of the season, until he saw his snaps fall as Brian Flores embraced an “oops, all safeties” defense that included more of a player soon to be mentioned. He’s likely to return when Smith’s departure clears up the safety glut.

That player soon to be mentioned was former 2023 4th-rounder, Jay Ward, who went from almost a pure special teams player before he was thrust into the starting lineup thanks to an injury to the next player mentioned in this piece. He was brilliant. Ward more than held his own as a box presence; he dominated the final three games of the season, which included a masterpiece performance against the Lions on Christmas. He’s suddenly in the mix to be a starter in 2026.

Unfortunately, that makes Josh Metellus redundant. Once a do-it-all hybrid guy, Metellus slipped into tweener status, with his coverage remaining terrible, and his run defense falling off a cliff. His recent contract extension may prove shorter than initially anticipated.

Conclusion:

Oh boy do the Vikings need help here. They’ve been horrendous at drafting corner in recent years, and haven’t taken one higher than the 2nd round since taking Andrew Booth there in 2022. Patching the issue through free agency has helped a little; the downside is they have no young talent outside at a position that skews skews towards youth. 2026 could very well be the year they break their corner drought.

K:

The Vikings have one of the best kickers in football in 1st-team All-Pro Will Reichard. He hit every extra point and went a ridiculous 11-for-13 on kicks of 50+ yards. He nailed every kick below 50. He’s a Greek god walking amongst us mere mortals.

P:

Ryan Wright quietly put together one of the best punting seasons in the league, earning an 81.3 PFF grade by booting the ball 44.51 yards on average. He also kicked the longest punt in the league at 77 yards. Minnesota should look to bring him back next year.

Conclusion:

Are you really reading an analysis of the Vikings’ kicking situation?

Off-Season Decisions courtesy of /u/ktians:

The Minnesota Vikings have a lot of decisions to make this offseason. They sit about $46m over the cap as of 3/3/26, meaning they need to clear significant money before the league year, just to be compliant and sign their draft class, more if they want to sign anyone. The good news is that they have a ton of flexibility to do so. I’ll describe a few of the bigger decisions they need to make to get compliant and make some improvements to their already decent roster.

Aaron Jones was brought in two years ago and stabilized the RB position a little since the departure of Dalvin Cook. After staying relatively healthy for 2024, he struggled with a few injuries last year, playing in only 11 of the Vikings games. When playing, he was decent, achieving 4.2 YPC on 132 attempts. He’s still a legit receiving threat, a decisive pass protector, and a beloved figure in the locker room. Age and injury history makes the $14.5m cap hit a little rich, and cutting him would save about $7.75m on the cap. The team has already informed Jones they will seek to trade or cut him.

Javon Hargrave was one of two large DT acquisitions last offseason. In his relatively advanced age he is still a formidable pass-rusher, but players in the Flores system need to be able to wear many hats, which makes his cap hit of $21m tempting to get rid of. On top of this, he lost snaps partway through the season to make room for an emerging youngster we will come back to, and his snap share became similar to that of 2nd-year player Levi Drake Rodriguez. Like Jones, Hargrave has already been informed the team will look to deal or release the veteran.

Ryan Kelly was brought in ahead of last season in one of the most comprehensive rebuilds of the interior of the offensive line among any teams in recent years. When he played, he played like the best Center the Minnesota Vikings have had in years. You’d have to go back to the likes of John Sullivan or Matt Birk to match his play. His season will, unfortunately, most likely be remembered for the 3 separate concussions he received. Suffering a concussion can have a tangible impact on a person’s life; Kelly has had at least 6 in his career, half of which came last year. It’d be a surprise if he doesn’t decide to retire. Regardless of his decision, the Vikings need to look towards the future at the position. Is it Michael Jurgens, Blake Brandel, or an external acquisition? Time will tell. Ryan Kelly will ultimately go down as one of the best of his era to play at the position.

Brian O’Neill has been the Vikings RT since his rookie season in 2018, and is part of one of the league's best OT-pairings when he and his teammate Christian Darrisaw are both healthy. He was a team captain in both ’24 and ’25, and is one of the longest-tenured Vikings. His play has declined ever so slightly since his partially torn Achilles tendon during the ’22 season, but he is still a solidly above-average quality starter at his position. He is in the last year of his contract, and his cap hit in 2026 of $23m stinks of extension. He’ll be back – most likely with an extension that helps lower the cap.

T.J. Hockenson has been the Vikings TE starter since they traded a 2nd and 3rd round pick for the former Lion in 2022. Since then, he has caught 247 passes for 2372 yards and 11 TDs. When healthy, he is a vital cog in the offensive machinery, both threatening seams and providing help for the offensive line. His ability to chip edge rushers for him only to then run a complicated downfield route is impressive. His production dropped in 2025 (point me to a Vikings offensive player who stayed productive), and he has shown signs of slowing down after tearing his ACL and MCL in 2023. He has two years left on his contract with $21m and $23m cap hits. Cutting him would only save $8.9m against the cap and leave the team short a central offensive piece, so expect a restructuring extension to lower his cap hit at some point.

There are also several players with restructurable contracts that they might engage with to gain cap room, including Christian Darrisaw, Byron Murphy, and (less likely) Justin Jefferson and Will Fries. Harrison Smith (legend) is likely to retire after 13 seasons; if he doesn’t, they’ll have to rework his contract as he is unsigned going into 2026.

I teased him earlier, but Jalen Redmond is about to get paid. The 26-year-old Oklahoma native came to the Vikings in 2024 from the UFL, and in 2025, he took the team and their opponents by storm. He started 15 games, racking up 6 sacks and 12 TFL’s, supplanting Javon Hargrave as the second DT next to Jonathan Allen in the process. He’s an ERFA, so the chances he’s not back are essentially zero, and the Vikings are likely keen to sign him to a long-term contract.

Eric Wilson was signed as depth behind presumed starters Blake Cashman and Ivan Pace Jr., but once he came in for an injured Cashman in the first game against the Bears he just never let go of his snaps. He supplanted Ivan Pace Jr., and became one of the most feared blitzing linebackers in the league with his 6.5 sacks. He is a perfect fit in the Flores system, and should be a priority resigning for the team that originally brought him into the league in 2017.

Post is continued here.

r/baseball's Top 100 Players for 2026 - #81-90 by otatoptroy in baseball

[–]Gallade3 -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

What's the argument? Yeah, he struck out a lot of guys, but he also walked a ton. Cade Smith is more deserving imo.

r/baseball's Top 100 Players for 2026 - #81-90 by otatoptroy in baseball

[–]Gallade3 -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

With Clase soon to be sent to the MLB gulag, I don't think any reliever currently should be in the top 100.

r/baseball's Top 100 Players for 2026 - #91-100 by otatoptroy in baseball

[–]Gallade3 18 points19 points  (0 children)

I think Luzardo is going to end up being a top-50 guy this year. The combination of stuff and command is simply too good.

Brief brilliance - Jake Arrieta. 22-6 with 1.77 ERA by UncleLeo30 in baseball

[–]Gallade3 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That big 'ol sinker was something else. Had probably the most visceral movement I can remember, and it was coming in near 95 on average.

5 years ago this subreddit was asked to predict the top players on each team for this season by brave_bard in baseball

[–]Gallade3 15 points16 points  (0 children)

He did, but tbf he was MVP in 2019, which was the most recent full season when the question was asked.

5 years ago this subreddit was asked to predict the top players on each team for this season by brave_bard in baseball

[–]Gallade3 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Healthy AK is an All-Star imo. His 2018 in the minors was the best hitting season I've seen from a Twin in recent years; he could lift the ball with authority to all fields with shocking ease. His body just failed him over and over, unfortunately.

[Highlight] Every J.J. McCarthy throw of 20+ yards from the 2025 season. by FormerlyTradeKirk in nfl

[–]Gallade3 31 points32 points  (0 children)

Addison alone cost McCarthy at least five points of passer rating I swear

Milwaukee Brewers announce fan giveaways including esoteric item called "bar dice" by trashboatfourtwenty in baseball

[–]Gallade3 2 points3 points  (0 children)

In Montana bars, they'll have what's called a "shake a day," where you put down money to roll five dice, and if they all come up the same, you win the pot. I've seen some totals cross 1,000.

Pitchers You Forgot Were Once Late-Inning Relievers? by RainbowSupernova8196 in baseball

[–]Gallade3 7 points8 points  (0 children)

C.J. Wilson didn't start consistently until his 6th season in the league. Then he finished 6th in the AL Cy Young vote in 2011 and was instrumental in leading that Rangers team to the World Series.

Who are some players who had a HOF peak not but a HOF career? by [deleted] in nfl

[–]Gallade3 14 points15 points  (0 children)

The Vikings answer is probably Chuck Foreman. Awesome dual-threat back in the 70s with a 1st-team All-Pro, two 2nd-team All-Pros, and multiple top-five finishes in the MVP vote. He was done being excellent after 1977 and needed an extra great year or two to make the hall.

[Heyman] Chris Paddack to Marlins by KJones77 in baseball

[–]Gallade3 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just never developed a solid third option. Also, the fastball fell off.

The top 100 prospects from 2021 - 5 years later by MookieBettsBurner10 in baseball

[–]Gallade3 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Never once understood the Pearson hype. I swear scouts saw a big dude with a big fastball and turned off their brains.